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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 10675
Released: June 22, 1999 |
| Our Price: $3.87 |
| Used Price: $3.20 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
An endless white landscape of rolling hills and snow-blanketed forests. A lonely acoustic score (by Danny Elfman) playing in the background. A vision of rural simplicity portrayed in hushed tones. The stillness is about to shatter. Brothers Hank (Bill Paxton), an accountant at a small-town feed store, and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), an unemployed, hygienically challenged dim bulb, accompanied by Jacob's oafish pal Lou (Brent Briscoe), stumble across a downed plane in the brush containing a corpse and a sack containing millions of dollars--surely the aftermath of a drug deal, they conclude. Greed overcomes good sense, and the three agree to hide the money for a year and keep the secret to themselves. A simple plan indeed, and it doesn't take long for it to go all to hell as the lure of wealth tears at kinship and friendship, and the ruthless machinations of impetuous partners leave a body count in its wake. Bridget Fonda costars as Hank's wife, whose initial hesitation gives way to cold-blooded plotting. Sam Raimi, best known for wowing audiences with stylistic gymnastics and manic mayhem, directs this quietly desperate thriller with chilly restraint, finding its cold, tragic heart in the estranged relationship between Hank and Jacob: the college boy blind to the truth of his own family and the town loser whose tortured soul reveals a humanity lost on his brother (a brilliant performance by Thornton). Adapted by Scott B. Smith from his acclaimed novel. --Sean Axmaker
A Simple Plan Reviews:
A Portrait of Greed and Human Frailty 
2008-09-19 - Set against the desolation of an upper-Midwest winter, "a simple plan" brings to mind another snow blanketed tale of greed-fueled tragedy, namely "Fargo". In the Coen brother's cynical depiction of human nature at its worst, the ever-present North Dakota snow became a metaphor for the emotional and ethical bankruptcy of the small town losers who's petty problems led to cold-blooded murder.
Sam Rami approaches a similar theme from a somewhat different angle, preferring to frame his protagonists in a kinder light. Rather than mocking them for the smallness of their lives he invites us to see them as average human beings at the mercy of circumstances beyond their control. In his film the snow is more like the clean conscience the characters enjoy before greed and paranoia weave their way through it, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
The story is self-explanatory. Hank Mitchell(Paxton), his dim-witted brother Jacob (Thornton) and Jacob's redneck friend Lou (Briscoe) get in over their heads when they stumble across 4 million dollars in a downed plane. Good intentions give way to greedy plotting, and the story moves swiftly and predictably to its violent conclusion.
What elevates this film above a run of the mill drama is the complexity of the leading characters and the cast's ability to add the necessary depth to their performances. Hank and his expectant wife Sarah (Fonda) have accepted their small town lives and consider themselves content. Jacob and Lou, both unemployed, live on the brink of poverty but seem happy enough drinking beer together and telling dirty jokes. The discovery of the money shakes them out of the limbo of ordinary life, and the prospect of escaping what they suddenly consider a miserable existence quickly consumes them.
In short order Sarah's priorities shift from child-rearing to surreptitious plotting, forcing mild mannered Hank, acting as the agent of his wife's machinations, to find in himself the dark heart of a killer. Jacob, who is actually more clever than he seems, foolishly believes that wealth will finally end his loneliness and skillfully draws his brother Hank into his plans to buy back the family farm. Lou, who sees an easy way to shed his loser image, is fully aware that as the only non-Mitchell family member he is the most vulnerable to betrayal. In order to improve his odds he proceeds to erode the bond between Jacob and Hank.
Alliances are formed, promises are made, and bitter animosities and painful secrets are laid bare. The bonds of trust unravel, and everyone involved finds themselves committing acts they never thought they were capable of. Ultimately the film is a skillful examination of the weak underpinnings that support civility, family and friendships. These four relatively normal people, Rami shows, are easily broken by ill begotten wealth. What Lou joyfully calls "The American Dream in a Gym Bag" turns out to be a nightmare beyond their ability to control. If it can happen to them, the film seems to warn, it can happen to anyone.
Rami's serious approach to the material allows us to overlook the occasional narrative stretch, like the fact that the police more or less overlook the mounting body-count, or that no-one discovers the secret of the money before it's too late to undo the damage (a simple phone call probably would have done the trick). These are minor flaws in a well crafted film where the tension, as well as the stakes, escalate with each passing moment. Definitely worth a viewing or two.
A Gripping Tale of Greed, Betrayal, & Murder 
2008-09-09 - On a snowy day in the rural Midwest, three men--two brothers and one of their buddies--stumble across the wreckage of a small airplane and discover that there is over $4,000,000 in cash (and a very dead pilot) on board. Realizing that the money is probably the ill-gotten spoils of some sort of criminal activity, the trio devises a "simple" plan that may allow them to keep the booty: they all agree to sit on the cash for a few months and wait for any possible indication that the law is searching for it. If it turns out that the money is marked or traceable, they will dispose of it; if it's clean, they'll split it up evenly and go their separate ways. Unfortunately, the plan doesn't turn out to be as simple as it first seemed, and soon the three men find their lives turned inside out by mistrust, paranoia, betrayal, and ultimately murder.
Based on the 1993 debut novel of author Scott Smith (who also wrote this screenplay adaptation), A SIMPLE PLAN is a gripping story that plays both as a psychological thriller and as a horror film of sorts. In the vein of a good psychological thriller, it questions the nature of good and evil in our modern world as it examines the lives of three small-town citizens who become utterly consumed by unfettered greed. As a modern horror film, it is one of those cautionary tales that warns how even the best of us might be tempted to justify the most egregious acts of immorality if we allow ourselves to succumb to the lust for money.
The performances of the major players in A SIMPLE PLAN are jaw-droppingly realistic. In their portrayals of two brothers who, though separated by differences in education levels and income brackets, still back each other when the chips are down, Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton seem to rip the personas of their characters directly from the pages of Smith's brilliantly written novel, yet they do so with an honesty and warmth that could almost make one believe they are off-screen family. Brent Briscoe's portrayal of the white-trash buddy who completes the story's trio of treasure-finders is also an Oscar-caliber study in gritty realism, and Bridget Fonda delivers what is probably one of her best performances in her role of a bubbly upper-middle-class wife who gets caught up in dangerous circumstances beyond her control. And in a minor role, actor Gary Cole offers up a deliciously devious turn as one of the film's traditional baddies.
Director Sam Raimi, better known for directing the cult horror classic THE EVIL DEAD (1981) and the Tobey Maguire SPIDERMAN films, does a top-notch job in bringing Smith's novel to the big screen. He tones down some of the novel's less-believable over-the-top violence and streamlines the overall narrative, yet he still maintains the tension that makes the story's denouement so poignant.
Paramount's DVD edition offers a pristine digital transfer of the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (enhanced for widescreen TVs). But as is often the case with Paramount DVDs, there is little offered by way of extras or bonus features. Nonetheless, A SIMPLE PLAN is a gripping, modern tale of greed, betrayal, and murder that has several clever plot twists, lots of psychological tension, and a poignant surprise ending, making the DVD well worth amazon's low price of admission.
well done
2008-08-22 - This underrated film has a great deal of messaging in it worth multiple viewings. Paxton is reliable, Fonda is tricky and Thornton is memorable. Great supporting cast in a film that is much bigger than its understated delivery.
Good purchase
2008-02-29 - This was a good choice; it came on time and quality was great. I'm glad I bought it. I'm always glad to purchase from Amazon. Good service and good products. Keep it up.
Rita Allen
The genius of Billy Bob in a story you'll interact with
2007-10-10 - As you watch this movie, about 3 dillweed country men who happen upon $4 million in a crashed and forgotten plane, you'll think, "What would *I* do?" Clearly the movie's characters make some colossal mistakes, but the frustration the viewer feels is intentional, just like jump scenes in a thriller, or tears in a chick-flick.
I'm not a big fan of Bill Paxton, but he does well in this role as a "college edumacated" feed mill worker. It's a good role for him. However, Billy Bob Thornton, who I personally feel is our finest living actor, always adds dimension to any charcter he portrays. His character is a pathetic, rather homely fellow who actually seems brighter in many respects than his brother, the Paxton character. Billy Bob's sad character is egged along to make poor choices, when it seems that had he been alone, it all may have worked out.
Paxton's wife, Bridget Fonda, plays a creepy woman who goes along with all the deciet as easily as deciding what to make for dinner. She tries to interject intelligent ideas, but no idea involving dishonesty is ever a really GOOD one.
The last main character, played by Brent Briscoe, adds even more low-quality morals to the mix. Briscoe has done several other movies with Billy Bob, such as Sling Blade, Mr. Woodcock and Waking Up in Reno. They work well together. His brash personality in movies softens Billy Bobs Southern flair some.
I **LOVED** this movie. I'm not one to love the happily ever after type movies. I like reality, grit, depression, sadness, drama. This fit the bill. I'm also a fan of 'the whole package', a movie just can't ride on one actor, or one good plot. This movie is visually beautiful, has some great odd lines, mostly delivered by Billy Bob, such as "like, TA-DA, y'know" and his reference to Easy Rider, "waahn-ditdit, like that guy, remember?". It has suspense, the interaction as there's no way to not think, "I'd have done this..." some action, murder, deceit, friendship, painful truths, painful lies, greed and can all be summed up by the famous quote, "the love of money is the root of all evil". How true.
One can't go wrong with a Billy Bob movie, with extremely few exceptions. I don't have the DVD, just VHS, but am slowly converting my library to DVD. I don't expect "extras" on a DVD, so the lack of them would not be a disappointment. (as one reader complained about) The movie is what I enjoy, and this is a fascinating tale of a tangled web of deceit and lies and dishonesty that swallows up character after character as it snowballs.
Take the time to appreciate the depth of Thornton's character, and the visual beauty of the stark landscape, and evaluate your own morals against the characters. Don't miss it.
